Device for attaching electric fixtures



Mar. 3, 1925. 4 1,528,583

- s. M. STREED DEVICE FOR ATTACHING ELECTRIC FIXTURES Filed Feb'. 21, 1 24 Patented Mar. 3, 1925.

UNITED STATES 1,528,583 PA TENT ouFic E.

SVEN MARTIN STREED, 0F MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA.

DEVICE FOR ATTACHING ELECTRIC FIXTURES.

Application fi1ed February 21, 1924. Serial No.-694,233.

ture attaching devices, and .to' this .endiit consists of the novel. devices and .coinbina tions of devices hereinafter described and defined in the claims.

Electric light fixtures are usually attached to'outlet boxes, covers, face plates and similarelements secured directly or indirectly to metal conduits for electric wires not only as a matter of convenience but to afford a ground for the fixtures, which is usually re quiredby ordinance.

As is well known, such boxes. and conduits are placed in buildings .and the wiring roughed in beforethe lathing: and'plastering is done, and the boxes areusually out of true in respect to vertical or horizontal planes and hence .when the fixtures areattached thereto, such fixtures are either held out of plumb or'do not project at'th'e proper angle from a wall or ceiling.

Furthermore, the finished walls or ceilings are very often not true, which adds to the dificulty .of properly hanging or attaching electric light fixtures.

My invention has for its object to overcome the above difficulties in hanging or attaching the electric light fixtures, and in its preferred form may be readily attached to standard electric equipment without altering the same, and includes a turnable fixture-attaching stud that is free to oscillate to properly hold a fixture, and when a fixture is'suspended therefrom, will automatically move into a positionto hold the same plumb. The fiXture attaclnng stud may also be adjusted into a position, to be held from turning when attaching a fixture thereto or removing the same therefrom. Said stud may alsobe adjusted into a position to be held against oscillatory movement.

In the accompanying drawings, which illustratethe invention, likecharacters inv attaching stud; My invention relates to electric light fixheld from turning and dicate like views.

Referring to thedrawings: Fig. is a view principallyin central .vertical section showing the inveution suspending an electric light ffixture froni an outlet parts -throughout the several box;

. Fig. 2 is a view principally in bottom plan wlth some parts sectioned on the line'2 -2 ZofFig. 1;

Fig. 3 is asperspe'ctive view ofg the fixture- 'Fig. l is abottom plan viewofthe cap removed from theoutletbox;

Fig. 5 is a detail zviewdprincipally;in section showing the: stud lifted into the-cap-for interlocking engagement therewith to he Fig. 6 is a detail viewshowing-the stud applied to an outlet-box positioned-for'appli-' cation in a wall, andwhich stud is turned into a position for engagement with the cap to prevent oscillatory movement.

The numeral 7 indicates the joists of a floor in a building, and to which-joists secured'a ceiling 8 of lath and plaster. Set

:into the ceiling 8 isan invertedoutlet box 9 having an axially locateddiole 10, four radially offset, holes :11 closedby knockout discs 12 and a plurality of wide screw holes -13 arranged in diametrically opposite pairs.

One end of a conduit 14,- lotated between the joists 7, extends through one of the holes llfrom which the respective disc12l1as been removed. The outlet box 9 is readily secured in-the conduit ltby an opposing nut 15 and a bushing 16', bo'thiofwh ich have screw-threaded engagement with said conduit. The numeral 17 indicates. the suspending plpe. of an electric light fixture.

not shown, the numeral :18 indicates a canopy slidably mounted onisaid pipe and held in different longitudinal adjustments thereon by a set screw 19 and with its upper end in contact withtheceiling 8- A hickey 20 has screw-threaded engagement with the upper end of the pipe 17 and through which hickey electric light wires 21 in the conduit 14: extend into the pipe 17. The parts thus far described are all of standard and well known construction llO a head 24 and is provided with screw threads, both external and internal, as indicated at 25 and 26, respectively. A transverse lock slot 27 is formed in the head 53% and the top of said head is reversely beveled toward said slot, as indicated at 28. for purpose that will presently appear. The under side of the head 24L is beveled or of conical formation, as indicated at 25). The fixture stud 22 is inserted through the hole 10 from the back of the box 9 and its conical surface 29 rests on said box and supports the stud 22 with freedom for universal oscillatory movement in all directions. The hickey 20 is screwed onto the fixture stud 22 and thereby supports the pipe 17 and parts carried thereby from said stud.

The cap 23, as shown, is of elongated formation and is supported on the back of the outlet box 9 and has a recess 30 to receive the head 2st. On the bottom of the recess 30 is an elongated lock lug 31. one means for attaching the cap 23 to the outlet box 9, I provide said cap at one end with a hook-like hinge lug 32 and at its other end with a nut-equipped screw stud 823. This lug 32 and the stud are so spaced that they may be inserted into two of the diametrically opposite screw holes 13 and be interlocked with the cap to detachably secure the same to the box 9, as best shown in Fig. 5.

The upper edges of the beveled surfaces 28 are in substantially the same plane as the face of the lock lug 31 so that the fixture stud 22 is normally free to rotate within the recess 30 without engaging said lug. To hold the fixture stud 22 from turning when screwing the hickey 20 thereon or removing the same therefrom, it is only necessary to move said stud endwise onto the recess 30 to cause the lock slot 27 to receive the lock lug 31, as shown in Fig. 5. After a ceiling fixture is attached to the stud said stud will drop out of interlocking engagement with the lug 81 when said ceiling fixture is released.

In attaching side lights to wall outlet boxes, as shown in Fig. 6, the fixture stud 22 may be turned so that its beveled surfaces engage the lock lug 81 and the lock slot 27 extends transversely thereof, to hold the stud 22 against oscillatory movement.

As the stud 22 is normally in contact with the box 9, the ground for the electric light fixture is complete.

lVhat I claim is:

1. A headed fixture-attaching stud. a cap adapted to be attached to a commercial out let box having an aperture in its back, said stud being adapted to be inserted into said box through said aperture before the cap is applied thereto and with its head engaging said box as a bearing on which it is free to turn. and lock elements arranged to be interlocked by an axial movement of the stud into the cap from sait bearing and temporarily hold said stud from turning.

The structure defined in claim 1 in which said stud and cap have opposing camacting surfaces arranged to be en aged by a turning movement of the stud in the cap to cam said stud onto its bearing and frictionally hold the same from turning.

3. A fixture attaching stud having a beveled head in which is a lock slot, and a cap having an internal lock lug arranged to enter said lock slot, by an axial movement of the stud into the cap, to hold the stud from turning in tie cap, said stud being adapted to be inserted into a commercial outlet box through an aperture in the back thereof with its head engaging said box as a bearing, said cap having attaching means arranged to be interlocked with said outlet box through certain holes therein, said beveled head being arranged when the outlet box affords a bearing therefor to frictionally engage the lock lug by a turning movcn'ient of the stud to hold said stud from further turning movement.

1. The combination with a wall or ceiling outlet box having in its back an aperture, of a fixtum-attaching stud having a tapered head and insertable in said box through the aperture therein with its head engaging said back as a bearing with freedom for turning movement thereon, a cap for the head of the stud attached to the back of the box, and lock elements on said head and cap arranged to be interlocked by an axial movement of the stud into the cap.

5. The combination with a wall or ceiling outlet box having in its back an aperture, of a fixture-attaching stud having a tapered head and insertable in said box through the aperture therein with its head engaging said back as a bearing with freedom for turning movement thereon, a cap for the head of the stud attached to the back of the box. and lock elements on said head and cap arranged to be interlocked by an axial movement of the stud into the cap, said cap having a hook-like hinge lug and a nutequippcd screw stud secured to the head of the outlet box by inserting the same through certain holes therein.

6. The combination with a wall or ceiling outlet box having in its back an aperture, of a fixture-attaching stud having a tapered head and insertable into said box through the aperture therein with its head engaging said back as a bearing with freedom for turning movement thereon, a cap for the head of the stud attached to the back of the box. and lock elements on said head and cap arranged to be interlocked by an axial u'iovement of the stud into the cap, said cap having a hook-like hinge lug and a nutequipped screw stud secured to the head of the outlet box by inserting the same through certain holes therein, said head having a beveled surface arranged to frictionally engage the lock lug by a turning movement of the stud to hold the stud from further turning movement.

7 The combination with a Wall or ceiling plate, of an endwise movable fixture-attaching stud turnably mounted on said plate for oscillatory movement, and a cap on the plate having a lock lug, the head of said stud having a transverse lock slot arranged to receive the lock lug when said stud is moved endwise into the cap to hold said Stud from turning.

8. The structure defined in claim 7, in which said head is reversely beveled away from the lock slot for engagement with the lock lug when said stud is turned into a position in which the lock slot extends transversely of the lock lug to hold said stud against oscillatory movement.

1n testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

S. MARTIN STREED. 

